Chapter 24: Jason

Chapter 24

Jason

Oh God. Oh God. Lucas screams after them but, they are gone. Oh Jesus. I never thought she would actually do it. I never though that she would take her own life and the lives of her children. How can that be justified? Yes, she may have earned freedom but what about Lucas? What about the man she left behind? 

This is surreal. They are gone. They are actually gone. Alfie, who lived in a world of his own creation, and Sophia...poor little Sophia, who was too young to even know what life or sacrifice meant. They cannot be dead, they can't be. Lucas falls to his knees and gazes over the edge into the chasm. Elektra rushes to forward, holding on to him to prevent him joining his family. Danny is standing to the side of me; he appears to be in a state of shock. After all, he has been revealed as a cheat and has lost the object of his true affections.

“Lucas, I'm so sorry mate...I don't know what to say...Oh God,” Danny says, trying to make the inhuman noises coming from him.

“You don't get to be sorry,” he mutters.

“Didn't quite catch that.”

“I said, you don't get to be f***ing sorry!” Lucas gets up quickly, drawing his gun and pointing it at Danny's head. Oh Lord, this is not going to end well for one, or both of them. Danny trips backwards, landing on the grass. Lucas stands above him, the gun pressing against his temple.

“Is this what you wanted, huh? To drive her into the grave with your...your harassment? You forcing yourself on her? Violating her and my sister? You make me sick, you f***ing c**t!” he puts more pressure against Danny's forehead.

“I didn't do anything that she didn't want. I never forced myself on her or hurt her. I loved her more than you ever did. I wanted her but couldn't have her so I settled for the next best thing. I settled for your sister but I never 'violated' her,” he begs, pathetically, like a man on Death Row.

“Lucas, you don't have to do this. You've just lost your family, now is not the time to overreact. We just need to talk about this,” Elektra interjects, touching his shoulder to reassure him. Lucas shakes her hand off. Elektra stumbles back, clutching her stomach.

“Are you one to talk about overreacting? You kill anything that moves. The time for talking is gone,” he says coldly. He pulls the trigger. Danny falls back; blood pouring out of the hole in his skull. His eyes still seem to plead, even from beyond the grave. Elektra gasps in horror. Lucas steps back and drops his gun. He puts his hands on his head and breathes heavily.

Elektra screams and falls backwards, clutching at her bump. I rush to cushion her head. She screams in pain. I notice a liquid flowing from her; her waters have broken. She knows when to pick her moments. She chooses the time when we have low numbers and when we are at our most vulnerable. I try and comfort her.

“We have to get to that car,” Lucas doesn't respond, “Lucas, can you hear me? We have to get her to a car because this baby is coming. Lucas, come on! For Christ's sake, there are important matters at hand,” I yell, trying to get through to him. He looks at me and runs away from the edge. Let us hope, for his sake as well as ours, that he is going to get that car.

“Elektra, listen to me,” I grasp her hand, “you are all right. We just have to get out of here and find somewhere safe.” She looks at me and then throws her head back, panting. She is trying to stop herself from screaming. I kiss her head and try to soothe her. Risers begin to emerge from every angle. I offer her my hand and help her to her feet. 

“I can't do it. I can't do it!” she screams. Her pain is agony for me. There is nothing I can do or say to help her. I just have to keep her quiet and as calm, as is possible. 

Where is Lucas? 

He's been gone for about five or ten minutes; has he abandoned us? We have no chance if he has; the moment we head for the road, we will be swarmed. I have no idea what I am supposed to do now, if Lucas has gone. I was convinced that everything was going to be fine once we found this 'safe haven'. Lucas has promised that it had not been long since they had encountered this group; he dragged us all the way for the city to be entirely overrun. So, either Lucas was lying or this mystery 'representative' was; I know who I would put my money on.

“Lex, we are going to have to run for it. Are you all right to run?” She looks at me with a look that one would look at a retarded child. 

“No, it's fair to say I'm not,” she says through gritted teeth. I am going to have to carry her and hope for the best. I scoop her up into my arms and begin to run. The heavens have well and truly opened, rain falling from the sky like the retribution of a sky deity or, an arsehole pouring a bucket of icy water from above the clouds. I just have to be fast. There are hundreds of them, swarming towards us. We just have to be quiet and act like them. If you believe something enough, you can do it. Become the Riser. Become the Riser but not literally.

The sound of a car exhaust races towards us; okay, so we have not been abandoned just yet. 

“Get in the f***ing car!”

I open the back door and place her on the far seat. I then get in and close the door; an arm follows me into the vehicle. I open the door and kick it out. Lucas mows down all of the Risers in front of us, like someone would crush grapes. Elektra continues to groan. I wipe the sweat off of her forehead.

We just have to get away from here. Just a few miles out of this town and we will have the opportunity to think things over. We just need to survive this. Lucas drives like a man possessed, like a maniac who gives into their impulses. I try to catch my breath. Adrenaline has had me so hyped up for the past half an hour; now, I feel somewhat calmer so I allow myself to just focusing on my breathing. It is only now I feel a pain in my shin. Kind of like an ache and a burn combined. It is probably nothing; I probably just twisted my ankle or pulled a muscle. Yes, that has to be it. I cross my right leg over my left leg and pull the bottom of my trouser leg up.

No. Please no. This cannot be happening, not right now. No. Teeth marks. One of them must have got me while I had Elektra; I was so hyped up on adrenaline that I did not feel a thing. There are still some teeth in there, among the scarlet mess of flesh. I rapidly move it back down and uncross my legs. I look to my side; Elektra is sitting with her head back, staring at the ceiling, panting. I cannot let anything register on my face. I have to keep composed, for her sake, if nothing else. I will deal with this when, and if, it becomes an issue. I am still alive and conscious of my own mind. I have to make sure Lex and the baby are safe before I can deal with things myself.

“Lucas? Where are we going? We have to get somewhere before this baby is born,” I ask. No response. He is driving erratically and the road conditions do not help matters. Oh God, I feel so motion sick...or is that the bite? He is going to get us killed. I do not trust this, especially with everything that has happened. I do not wish to get involved in his kamikaze suicide mission. I still have something worth fighting for, even if I am marked with death.

“Lucas! Where are we headed?” I yell, trying to get through to him. I shake his shoulder and he looks backwards, grabbing my arm. Why has he taken his eyes off of the wheel.

“Lucas! Road!”

It only takes a few seconds for the car to collide with the lamp post. The car swerves off of the road, into a ditch. Everything goes black.